When will our water be safe again, ask 300,000 Lancashire homeowners

A BOUNDLESS supply of drinking water straight from the tap is something we all take for granted.

Franklaw Water Treatment Works where the cryptosporidium was discovered during checks

However, for families in more than 300,000 homes in the North-west of England that appears to be a distant dream.

For three weeks now they’ve been instructed to boil drinking water, after traces of a bug were discovered at a treatment station.

In the areas affected, including all of Preston and Blackpool, there is no sign of a solution and growing anger that the scare is dragging on for so long.

The contamination was discovered on August 6 when routine checks at the Franklaw Water Treatment Works near Garstang revealed small amounts of cryptosporidium, a microscopic parasite.

It can cause diarrhoea, vomiting and stomach cramps.

For people with weak immune systems the health risk can be much more serious.

Thankfully Public Health England says there have been no reports yet of illness across the wide area affected, which also covers Fleetwood, the rest of the Fylde coast, Chorley and parts of Blackburn, but a “boil water warning” was issued on the same day that the bug was found.

The company responsible, United Utilities, has spent the past few weeks flushing out 2,500 miles of pipes.

It is also bringing in eight rigs to treat water with UV light, which kills the bug, but it is a huge task because there are 500 million litres of water in the system.

Cryptosporidium is commonly found in animals, including livestock.

PA

A technician checks for evidence of the bug to make sure the water is safe to drink

Nationally there are up to 6,000 confirmed cases of health problems caused by it each year.

The bug can be picked up while swimming or by eating contaminated food, but cases linked to the drinking water supply are rare.

A spokeswoman admits there is no firm date for the ban on drinking from the tap to be lifted.

In Lancashire, as supermarket shelves are stripped of bottled water, patience is beginning to wear thin.

A petition calling for a Government inquiry into the contamination and apparent lack of contingency plan has already been signed by more than 12,000 people.

We won’t take risks with public health so we won’t speculate about a date until we can be certain that the water is back to normal

A spokeswoman for United Utilities

Lyn Day, who was forced to close her café in Preston, says: “It was meant to be only for a few days. Now it is going into another week. I’m only a small café – I do not have the facilities to store boiled water.”

Conservative MP Seema Kennedy, whose South Ribble constituency includes the affected area, has attacked United Utilities for its “vague responses”, failure to clarify when water will be declared safe to drink and “lack of transparency”.

She adds: “There is an understandable level of frustration with United Utilities.”

Worryingly, a similar incident of cryptosporidium contamination a decade ago which affected almost 30,000 homes in North Wales lasted more than two months.

Then more than 200 cases of illness were confirmed and the water company involved was fined.

In another outbreak, in Northampton in 2008, there were 22 cases of illness, which was traced to a rabbit entering a water tank.

ALAMY

Customers have become infuriated by having to heat up pans of water for drinking

Plans are being drawn up so that local schools can reopen if water is still not considered completely safe when holidays end soon.

The source of the contamination is believed to have been found but the water company declines to reveal full details.

Animal waste somehow getting into supplies is thought to be the most likely cause.

There’s no suggestion the contamination was caused deliberately and any links to fracking have been ruled out. United Utilities has promised to compensate affected families and businesses and it is reported that it could face a £15million payout for the lapse in standards.

It is also likely to be fined.

The company has a total of 2.9 million customers, covering an area from Liverpool in the west to the Peak District in the east and from Carlisle in the north to Crewe in the south.

The vast majority of homes, though, are not affected.

“The traces of cryptosporidium were very small but we have to be satisfied that the risk has been completely eliminated,” says a spokeswoman for United Utilities, which made a £653million profit last year.

“Until that is done we are asking customers to continue boiling water and we are grateful for their patience. Every effort and resource is focused on getting things back to normal.

“We won’t take risks with public health so we won’t speculate about a date until we can be certain that the water is back to normal. We will do that as soon as we can.”

The boil water warning can only be lifted when there has been a succession of negative tests for the bug.

The temporary UV rigs have been brought in from Europe and the US, but it is a slow process and they are not yet all in place at reservoirs.

Scientists at the company and the Drinking Water Inspectorate, the organisation that is responsible for ensuring our supplies are safe, have been tracking the spread of the bug through the complex supply network.

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United Utilities says it is providing bottled water for “vulnerable” customers, such as nursing homes, but insists that tap water is perfectly safe if boiled.

As an extra measure chlorine levels in water supplies have been slightly increased.

The firm says water for brushing teeth, making ice cubes, washing vegetables and rinsing dishes should also be boiled first.

Parents have also been told not to fill children’s paddling pools with unboiled water, but it is considered safe for bathing and showering.

Dishwashers are safe as long the setting is at 65 degrees or above, but it is recommended to boil water for washing dishes by hand.

A post code checker has been issued for homes affected, though there has been some confusion in areas on the edge of the boil zone.

Companies have shut down drinks vending machines and water coolers are off limits.

Lorry loads of bottled water have been brought in for patients and staff at hospitals in Preston and Chorley, while weapons company BAE Systems has spent £100,000 keeping its 10,000 workers in Lancashire hydrated.

One four-star hotel near Preston has revealed it has been hit by cancellations from guests worried about staying in the area, restaurants are struggling to stay open and public swimming pools have been closed.

It is not just humans who are being affected.

Annette Begg, who runs Elswick Kennels, in Preston, is boiling 30 kettles a day to cope with 40 thirsty dogs at the busiest time of the year.

“I’m getting fed-up, really,” she complains.

“Nobody is telling us anything and I’m surprised it is taking so long to sort it all out. We pay for our water so if there is a problem they should be bringing us supplies.

“Normally we just fill a watering can, so it is also very time consuming. We’ve got a St Bernard at the moment and he’s drinking five litres of boiled water in one go.”